Crowley's Apprentice

Back again!

Had nothing to do, so I decided to update a little early

Disclaimer: I don't own the Rangers Apprentice series or any of its characters. I do own any OC's that might be in this story.

This is part two of Redmont. Mikey finally meets Halt and Will for the first time.

Chapter Seven:

Redmont (Pt. 2)

Even though he had to be there by noon, Mikey and his beloved horse Silver, moved at a slow canter to admire the beautiful weather. There were no signs of rain, and the breeze was gentle. It had been half an hour since Mikey had left Crowley's cabin. Double checking his packed belongings once more, he forgot something that was fairly important to him. "My guitar!" Mikey reminded himself as he turned his pony around, back towards the cabin.

Back at the cabin, Crowley was just about to leave for another day of errands as he heard the almost silent hoofbeats that he registered as Silver. Confused, he opened the door and saw his apprentice. He immediately knew.

"Guitar," Crowley asked calmly. Mikey looked at him quizzically.

"Yeah," he began. "How'd . . . you know?"

"Oh please, you can't go for more than thirty minutes without tending to it." Crowley answered as he handed Mikey the perfectly constructed wooden guitar that he had bought during the first couple days of Mikey's apprenticeship.

"Now get going if you plan on getting there before noon." Crowley said.

Mikey departed once again, this time moving faster than before. Being the apprentice to a Ranger, Mikey knew every shortcut and secret roads that lay in Araluen. Instead of taking the traditional route the neighboring fief of Redmont, Mikey took a detour into the forest.

Mikey looked up at the sun. He only had about an hour until noon. Crowley had told him that if he wanted to stay alive he would be there by noon. Urging Silver into a canter, Mikey sped through the forest. But something didn't seem right. Silver whined, alerting his master. "I know," said Mikey reassuringly. Rather than looking directly at what was hiding from him, Crowley had taught him that peripheral vision was more effective. Pretending not to notice, Mikey unsheathed his throwing knife. He anticipated where his target would move and purposely aimed above and fired. His knife slammed into a nearby tree, scaring the intruder out of hiding. Mikey dismounted.

"Ahhhhhhhhh," the bandit yelled as he charged for the frail boy. Mikey knew from previous years that the most effective way to take down a charging target is to take out his legs. Mikey moved with blazing speed toward his target. With a quick jab to the stomach, the bandit doubled over in pain. Mikey then kicked his legs from underneath him, then finished him off with a blow to the chest, knocking the intruder out.

Physically unscathed , Mikey wondered what to do with the limp body that lay before him. Figuring that he had no time whatsoever, he bonded his wrists together with some rope he had packed for this exact purpose. He also bonded his feet together so that he would have difficulty getting up once he awoke from his beating.

Mikey started back towards Silver, who had seen everything.

That was fast, the horse seemed to say.

"Were going to have to really hurry now," he said has he remounted Silver. He urged him into an even faster gallop than before.

Reaching Redmont in record time, Mikey soon realized that he still had quite some time. Slowing his pony down, he explored the large fief of Redmont. Feeling hungry from what had happened earlier, he decided to buy food at the market. Crowley had given him enough money. When Mikey asked why, Crowley had simply replied, "Just in case." Mikey said a silent thanks as he entered the market grounds.

After a quick lunch, Mikey headed over to his original destination: The legendary Ranger Halt's cabin. Making his way through the huge fief, Mikey soon found a cabin looking somewhat identical to Crowley's, located on the edge of the forest. He led his horse into the cabin's stable as he walked up to the door.

He didn't even knock when the door was opened by a grim looking Ranger. His hair was unkempt and he had a beard that seemed to have traces of gray. He was nowhere near six feet tall, but he wasn't short either.

"uh. . . Halt?" Mikey asked, not knowing what the figure staring at him would say.

Halt stared at this boy closely. His hair was long with bangs that blew in the breeze. His eyes were a vibrant blue that almost looked unnatural. He was average height for his age but a little on the skinnier side. After seeing the backpack that he was carrying, he knew that this was Crowley's apprentice, Mikey.

'You must be Mikey," Halt started. Then the trace of a smile touched his lips. "Can you be any skinnier?"

"Can your name be any weirder," Mikey retorted. Halt stared at him once more. This is Crowley's apprentice, all right he thought.

Halt sighed as he realized that he had just been countered. "Come in," he said as he stood aside, letting the skeleton of a boy in his cabin.

Alright, im going to end it here. I just had the perfect idea of how Mikey is going to meet Will, and I don't want to jam everything into one chapter.

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-YDG?